Weeds, a Clown, and a Seller Walk Into Court… Transparency Series #23 HOA documents aren't exactly exciting reading. Until they are. I represented a buyer purchasing a home in an HOA. My buyer lived out of state, and during the transaction we received information from the HOA indicating that the seller was not in compliance. The problem? Weeds and...

I keep hearing that we're in a "buyer's market." I've even seen buyer's agents use that as a reason to ask a seller for higher compensation. But that raises a bigger question for me: How should a buyer's agent's compensation actually be determined? I frequently hear agents say, "I've been working with these buyers for two years," as part of the explanation for why they need a certain amount of...

Transparency Series #21 Unfinished Repairs at the Final Walkthrough Clients: "Now what?"Me: "I'm not leaving until we have a solution—and money set aside to make sure the promised repairs are completed. So... let's have lunch."Fortunately, I'd packed a little snack. I had a feeling it was going to be a long day for all of us. Why didn't we walk away?" It's a fair...

HOA-CIC Documents — The Most Important Papers Buyers Rarely Read. CIC documents make great bedtime reading—just don't be surprised if they give you nightmares later. Every buyer purchasing a home that's part of a homeowners association receives a stack of documents during the transaction. Most people glance at the cover page, see words like Bylaws or Declaration, and set them aside for later....

Every Real Estate Transaction Is a Puzzle-Transparent Series 19 I'm currently preparing an estate property for the market. Like many estate listings, that means coordinating movers, staging, window cleaning, exterior maintenance, previewing comparable homes, and helping the executor sort through a lifetime of belongings. None of that surprised me. I wasn't surprised that the HOA would be part of...

Everyone Likes Surprise —until it's the wrong surprise Transparency Series-18 Last week we talked about things consumers didn't know until they were already living through them.Short sales.Foreclosures.Mortgage insurance.Rules buried in paperwork that didn't become real until the consequences showed up.But not every surprise happens after you own the home.Sometimes the biggest...